Love drives us to do the remarkable. We will give money. We will give time. We will give our thoughts and attention. We will do all of this and more, but there is an all-too-common resistance to actively seeking to talk with people about the good news of Jesus Christ. To be sure, in light of common abuses, the resistance is understandable. We do not want our faith or ourselves to be associated with manipulative, overbearing,or judgmental evangelistic tactics. With that acknowledged, though, there is a profound reality we must embrace. If we authentically love people, we will want them to discover Christ. We will want them to know and understand the forgiveness and freedom we ourselves have experienced. We will want them to be reconciled to God. We will want them to know the power of God’s presence for day to day living, and the very real hope we have for all eternity. To withhold all of this is both negligent and unloving. Paul exhorted his listeners to “Be reconciled to God” (2 Corinthians 5:20). He did this not for his own gratification. He did it, he said, because “the love of Christ compels us” (2 Corinthians 5:14). Which is critical to our understanding. One of the greatest inhibitors to outreach is the abundance of exposure people have had to tactics not driven by love. There are countless reasons a person can share Christ with someone else. They may be seeking to feel good about themselves, win an argument, or impress their religious communities. Such motives may not be seen with the eyes, but they are smelled with the nose. In speaking to the Pharisees, Jesus said, “You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when you have succeeded, you make them twice as much a son of hell as you are.” (Matthew 23:15). Jesus’ approach to those far from God was different. He was referred to as “a friend of tax collectors and sinners.” (Matthew 11:19). He dined with those others would avoid (Mark 2:15) and welcomed those they would not even touch (Luke 7:38). He did all of this and more, despite the criticism, explaining that “it is not the healthy who need a doctor but the sick.” (Matthew 9:12). Jesus modeled intentional and loving relationships with those apart from God. He did this, he said, because he came “to seek and to save the lost.” With that in mind, it’s instructive that when returning to the father, he told his followers, “As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” (John 20:21). If we are to walk as Jesus walked, we will be sent as he was sent. We, too, will “seek and save the lost” as we thoughtfully, lovingly, and intentionally enjoy our neighbors, co-workers, family, and friends, and help them discover Jesus’ good news.
Spiritual Fitness Check
Core Training
